Are TENS machines any good for arthritis?

How well it works: TENS helps acute (short-term) and chronic (long-term) pain. TENS has been shown to relieve osteoarthritis (OA) pain and reduce the need for pain medications. A 2015 Cochrane Review concluded, "[there is] tentative evidence that TENS reduces pain intensity over and above that seen with placebo.

Read more

Can electrical stimulation cause nerve damage?

Generally, greater intensity, higher frequency, and longer pulse width stimulation lead to more severe damage in nerve cells (McCreery et al., 2004). In addition, although short-term electrical stimulation is not damaging to nervous tissue, chronic electrical stimulation can damage nerve structure. How do you use TENS for arthritis in the knee?

Also, do tens machines work for sciatica?

The answer is yes. TENS can relieve sciatica pain-even the radiating, and sometimes debilitating shooting pains that patients often experience. It's a safe, non-addictive painkiller alternative that might help you reduce discomfort and gain some mobility from sciatica. How often should you use a TENS unit for knee pain? Use up to three times per day at a maximum. During each therapy, rate your pain before and after the session, 1 (low) to 10 (high) in order to gauge the true reduction of pain.